


Saving My Face

by FireAndBloodOfHouseLeFay



Series: Unbent, Unbroken [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Action & Romance, Drama, F/F, Heavy Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-09-11 06:24:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8962477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireAndBloodOfHouseLeFay/pseuds/FireAndBloodOfHouseLeFay
Summary: Lena Luthor loathed many things in her life. But more than anything she loathed her last name. And she was not alone in the sentiment - of that she was aware. However in all the hatred there was one person who didn't loathe her name. One person who believed in her. That person was a certain Kara Danvers. SuperCorp
Already on FF. Decided to venture onto AO3 and boy I wasn't disappointed.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome one and all. I am brand new to A03, and I have no idea how it works so let's hope I'm getting it right. I've been with FF for years, yet never moved my work over onto this site but it seems to be the primary one these days so I thought why the hell not. Again over on FF I have the same pen name, so you all know who's who etc.
> 
> So this is my first ever Supergirl story, I'm putting it out there right now. As much as I love the show I never had the desire to write about it but that quickly changed when the legend that is Katie McGrath ventures into season two like a trooper. She plays Lena wonderfully, able to toe the line of either side as any Luthor should - Though I hope to everything that they keep her good, I'm done with Morgana *cough* Lena getting screwed over.
> 
> Also I am complete SuperCorp trash, I'm putting that out there as well. Whether it's McGrath's ridiculous knack at making everything flirty or sunny Danvers gaping like a fish whenever she's in proximity there's just something between the two of them which is absolutely intriguing. It could be the Smallville nostalgia talking because their relationship mirrors Clark and Lex's before Lex was a complete dick but who knows, whatever it is I absolutely approve of it.
> 
> This is more of a character piece than anything else though there's SuperCorp and I am expanding it into a fully fledged story. I just adore Lena Luthor so she gets the honour of being my first story in the Supergirlverse.
> 
> So as per I own absolutely nothing bar the storyline and I'll leave you guys to it.

Lena Luthor loathed many things in her life.

She loathed the rain which consistently ruined her make-up and hair – one of the many reasons she'd moved down to National City on the sunny coast. She loathed the sound of nails on a chalkboard, something which had stuck with her ever since boarding school. She loathed those she mingled with, the snivelling, pretentious, pompous upper class she unfortunately had been bracketed alongside due to her wealth. There was so much more she loathed, the list too long to elaborate upon.

But there was one thing she loathed more than any of the above, one thing that she didn't ever have a chance of fighting, which she had no control of. She'd never gotten a say, she'd never been given the opportunity to choose this one particular thing and it bit at her every single time.

She loathed her last name. Luthor.

The name just dripped off the tongue, almost always spoken with pure venom and disgust. It was a dirty name, a tarnished name. It was a name which struck fear into those who met her, distrust, scepticism and unabashed distaste which she battled on a daily basis. It was a label that caused her to constantly stick out from the crowd, a name which gave those around her preconceived images of the type of woman that she must be. That because she was a Luthor then she was almost certainly like her namesake, that she was a carbon copy of her Brother, her Mother, Father.

Adopted Brother, Mother and Father she corrected mentally.

People believed that she too must be cut from the same cloth, unable to grasp the mere notion that she was her own woman. That she was not Lex. That she was not Lillian. That she was not Lionel.

It was burden she carried deceivingly well, her face well trained and her façade immaculate as they greeted her with their pre-programmed ideals on who she must be as a person. That she was ruthless and greedy, scheming nefariously. That she was a power hungry monster with an insane God complex. Every day she dealt with the looks, the hushed whispers when she walked into a room.

Her face had become harder than steel, her mask one of constant indifference and completely impenetrable under their accusing glances and their thinly veiled hatred. Her skin was thicker than any armour available and the snide remarks almost always bounced off her like a sunbeam on a mirror, reflecting straight back at those who'd deliver the loaded judgements and illuminating her to their intentions, to their character.

They loathed her name almost as much as she did.

Lena had learned a long time ago how to school her emotions, how to separate her heart from her body so that she could withstand every single blow that was landed upon her. She was certain these people didn't even realise they were doing it and that just made it worse. She'd been tarred with the same brush as the rest of her family without ever being given a chance. They wouldn't even attempt to break beneath the icy surface, the steely disposition she coated her pale skin in so well. They didn't have the guts and they certainly didn't have the balls. No, to learn that she was nothing like her Family would only highlight their own flaws, their own misplaced judgements and she was sure that no one would dare break their own bubble of perfection and admit that they wrong.

In the world that she came from admitting ones flaws was a weakness, a drop of blood in the ocean which could lure a thousand sharks waiting to swallow them whole. They never deemed her worthy of even taking a chance, a leap of faith. She must be a megalomaniac just like her Brother.

Lena may have been one of two remaining Luthor's but it was she who came under far more scrutiny than her Mother. She was the one people could see, she was the woman heading up the family business and she was the one in the public eye. She was the face to a name now, she was the scapegoat for her family and she was the one people could directly attack because she was a Luthor and Lex's incarceration was nowhere near enough justice for all he'd done to the people of Metropolis.

The last part she agreed with herself.

Lena sighed loudly and swigged at the whiskey on the rocks in her palm, one hand running anxiously through her long raven locks as she tried to distract herself with the mountain of paperwork resting on the desk before her. Normally it would be enough, normally the words wouldn't even faze her but right now she was vulnerable.

These moments were rare, few and fleeting but she was not as invulnerable as she portrayed herself to be. Her thick skin and steely façade were simply that, a façade – though the people around her would never believe it. The real her, the person she truly was behind the name and the mask was a completely different being to the professional and cool CEO the world saw and sometimes – just sometimes - the cracks in her armour would open just a little larger than normal and the blood would leak out, exposing her very human organs to the harsh reality that she lived in now.

The scars would tear and the people's distaste would seep into the open wound like an infection, filling her with their poison and wearing down her shield. And then it would crash over her like a tidal wave, her thoughts spiralling from their words, to their meanings, to their conceptions. She'd tumble involuntarily into the pit of self-loathing, cursing and questioning herself time and time again.

And it would hurt. For a few hours it would sting and burn and she'd try to drown the flames with the whiskey in her hand, extinguishing the searing heat. It never worked. But it helped. The Luthor name would drag her down into the hellish abyss, clamped to her ankle like a ball and chain and tugging her violently into the throes of self-deprecation.

The whiskey fuelled haze would dull her senses, numb her to the pain and push her into a regenerative sleep. And then she'd wake the next day and rise like a phoenix from the ashes, another layer of skin added to her already thick armour. The words and feeling and emotion, the weakness and the pain would disappear beneath the heavy sheet of ice wrapped around her, locked in a pretty little box in her pretty little mind until the next time she slipped. She'd emerge stronger than before, but also a little more damaged in the process. It was nothing but a vicious circle and even with all her brains she couldn't find a way to break the cycle.

And now, for the first time in what felt like forever she found herself slipping once more.

No thanks to her Mother.

The woman had breezed into her office without a care in the world, not even attempting to hide how little she cared that yet again she skipped out on a gala. No matter what function Lena had ever held the woman almost always bailed on her. Time and time again. These days there wasn't even an excuse as to why and frankly Lena didn't even care anymore. She only invited the woman out of courtesy, nothing more.

There was no congratulations on all she'd achieved. No gratitude at her for stepping up to the mantle and picking up the gauntlet her brother had so crudely thrown down. No praise for the direction in which she was taking L-Corp, in fact it was completely the opposite.

Her Mother had never once tried to hide her disappointment. It was etched into every crevice on her face whenever she looked at Lena. Disappointment that she wasn't following in their footsteps, disappointed that she wanted to be good, to be kind. Disappointed that she held little to none of their ideals, alien hatred included.

Lena may have been a Luthor by name, but she was not a Luthor by blood nor by heart and she thanked her lucky stars. It could have been so easy to slip into their finely crafted shoes, so easy to strive to please her parents and become the Antichrist of the modern age. God it would have been the easier path, it would have been so much easier to live up to the evil of her name and plough through life in a whirlwind of chaos and destruction.

Instead she'd become her own woman and had gone onto a path she had crafted for herself. Her will was iron and she knew even from a young age that she wanted to be anything other than those around her. For years she'd drowned in their shadow, pinned beneath her family's obnoxiously huge boot. But she had fought tooth and nail to escape their grasp, wriggling her way out of their hold with finesse. She was sharper than they'd ever been, bolder and braver and completely unwilling to get sucked up into their vacuum of hatred and superiority.

The day they'd sent her to boarding school had been the best day of her life. For the first time in her life she'd been able to breathe. Finally she'd torn off of the leash which had been tied so tightly around her throat it was almost suffocating. She'd become hopeful, optimistic and excited for her future. She'd strive'd to become better than them in so many ways. Lex was a genius yes, but she was as well. Where-as he took what his Father handed him she had earned her credentials. She was the Engineer, she was the inventor, she was the one with more letters than the alphabet after her loathsome name. She'd built a rocket for Christ sakes.

She wasn't stupid enough to discard the fact that their money had assisted her in the quest for greatness. Without it she may never have been able to achieve the feats she had, and though she hated that she'd relied so heavily on their blood money she knew she could pump what she'd taken back into the areas people needed. But this time it would be clean money, good money and not sullied by the dirt under their fingernails.

She would clear the rot from the inside out which would be a damn sight easier than from the outside in. She'd known since she was child that they were as shady as shady came, Lex's imprisonment was merely the straw which broke the camel's back.

Already it was taking fruition and she absolutely revelled in how much it had wounded her Mother. She was naturally a cold woman, distant and lacking any sense of moral compass. Her face was as impassive as Lena's but Lena knew her Mother and she knew she'd gotten right under her skin, perhaps even drawn blood. It was written all over her face. Lena was carving her own empire out of the debris her Brother had left behind, wasting no time in pooling her own hard earned money into swallowing up every single asset he owned and converting their darkness into light.

Piece by piece she was dismantling everything the Luthor's had built and it was glorious. She'd toyed with completely rebranding and excluding every link to the Luthor name that she could, even discarding the Luthor from her own name, however, she found that there was a better way to really get under her Mother's skin and it was already working. She would cast away the black mark on the name she'd been begrudgingly bequeathed and would turn it into everything they hated.

She'd turn the name Luthor into a name of hope. She'd push it out of the darkness and into the sunlight, using it as a force for good and good alone. The Luthor name would be reborn into one which no longer harboured ill will but kindness. The old Luthor took and took and took, the new Luthor would give back just as much.

This was going to be her legacy and nothing would deter her from it. No matter how many people that would be sent to kill her – one attempt already – she wouldn't stop her crusade. She would not be bullied into bending, she would not be forced into giving up the task out of fear or intimidation.

She was Lena and she was stronger than they were. For years they'd underestimated her – everyone bar Alexander surprisingly – and now they were rueing that decision and she knew it.

Lillian and Lionel had given Lena her cunning, her business savviness and her frightening ability to see through every illusion placed before her, every hurdle that had been thrust before her feet. They had given her the tools without even realising it for it was them who had shown her how to perfect the mask of unwavering confidence, how to exude the almost ethereal untouchable aura. They had moulded her into the unstoppable force she'd become, a foil to their immovable object. By exposing her to their darkness for so long they had only fuelled her own light, giving her a clear view on who it was she wanted to be, what she wanted to leave behind.

They had shaped her into this person without even knowing it and it was unsurprisingly the one thing she was grateful to them for. Seeing the level that they lived on had only spurred her to aim higher and completely eclipse them in every possible way.

The stories she used to read as a child always had good triumphing evil, the hero beating the villain and that is exactly what she wanted to do. She didn't consider herself a hero, she was still teetering around the grey shades – her alien identifying device a perfect example - and knew she could so easily fall into their black pit of despair. Right now she was an anti-hero and she'd own that moniker if it meant she was trying to do the right thing.

And she was. She was trying so damn hard to right their wrongs and unravel their twisted web which was weaved so tightly around all who bore the name Luthor. She was giving it her everything to shed the old skin but as she expected her Mother had other plans.

She may have taken five steps forward but her Mother was dragging her four steps back and countering the damage she was doing. And she was doing it in the worst possible way.

Lillian Luthor hadn't come to see her out of the goodness of her heart, to wish her well and see how her only Daughter was doing. No, she had come with a warning, an ultimatum.

Shut it down or she'd shut Lena down. Claimed she didn't want a war, not with her Daughter and that should Lena abandon her ridiculous crusade she'd be more than happy to work side by side with her, just like she always should have. Still to this day she believed that Lena wasn't as pure as she made out to be, still she believed that they had corrupted her enough to break her iron will and still believed that the woman was a real Luthor, a true Luthor.

She wanted to give her one last chance to redeem herself and all would be forgiven. She'd be welcomed wholly into the Luthor fold and could embrace the destiny that they'd always envisioned for her. A destiny supposedly greater than anything Lena could achieve on her own. What she was doing and all the things she had planned, they were all for her and Alexander, that Lena would see it if she stopped being so stubborn and gave in for the first time in her life.

There was no yelling between them, no tears and screaming matches. The atmosphere was a below zero temperature, beyond freezing even. Lena didn't flinch once beneath her Mother's hostile gaze, didn't bow or break beneath the clear warning.

Lena had her project L-Corp yes, but her Mother had Project CADMUS and had no qualms on taking her on head to head.

The moment the words had left her Mother's lips a terrible churning had filled her stomach. Gruellingly it sank its teeth into gut, gnawing and gnarling at her innards with such a ferocity she didn't know how she didn't topple over.

She'd seen the blasts CADMUS had been throwing all over the airways, the threats and propaganda it had been spewing for all ears. Their anti-alien hatred so visceral she cringed every time a new one emerged. They were trying to incite a war against those who did not conform to their ideas, to twist the common people against those who protected them.

Yes not all of their extra-terrestrial visitors had good intentions. But neither did every human being on this planet either. Where there was bad, there was always good. The bad were always a small minority who spoiled it for the decent majority. Supergirl and Superman had done more for the people than they deserved, but still it seemed it was not enough. Nothing they could do would ever be good enough because they were not human.

And she cursed herself for not trusting her instincts the first time she'd seen the blast. She'd known, subconsciously she'd known that somewhere in that twisted mess, at the heart of it all that there was a Luthor involved. Her family's fingerprints were all over it, their grubby bloodstained legacy smeared throughout. And yet for some insane reason she had not been able to believe it. She'd been so naïve. She'd been so blinded by Alexander's actions, his evils and atrocities, that she'd forgotten that there was a far more dangerous Luthor still out there.

Her son, her pride and joy had been brought crashing back down to Earth. He'd been slung violently off if his self-proclaimed pedestal by the God like Superman and there was no way Lillian Luthor would stand by and watch as her own legacy crumbled around her, her golden boy no longer golden. Lena should have known better.

A sickness crept up in her throat as she registered the words her Mother had spoken towards her. 'All I'm doing is for Alexander and for you Lena… You'll see that eventually'. She simply swallowed the bile crawling up her oesophagus, unwilling to show any kind of reaction to her Mother. All the bombings CADMUS had unleashed, the blood they'd spilled… It was done in her name.

Innocent people had been caught in the crossfire, their lives cut brutally short all because Lillian Luthor wanted a safer world for her.

As much as she wanted to crumble under the admission she'd held her ground, lifting her chin a little higher in defiance. Her back had gone up ram rod straight, her eyes narrowing as she stared directly into her Mother's. A battle of wills erupted between their gazes, both fighting for dominance and hoping to pound the other into complete submission.

Masterfully she'd steadied her voice, pitch never breaking as she poured every single drop of defiance into her words. Lena cast the rising fear in her blood away, swallowing the dread and the pain which was clawing at her lungs desperately.

'Do your worst'.

The three words were simple, direct and all that needed to be said. Lillian was throwing down her own Gauntlet and just like she'd picked up Alexander's she would pick up her Mother's too. She was not afraid of her. She'd never been afraid of her and she wasn't about to change the habit of a lifetime. The words came out cold and hard and she knew they'd have shredded a lesser being to absolute pieces, her stance and her voice and her face so intimidating that it would have shook even the hardiest of people to the core. Her Mother however was unfazed and unflinching and she didn't expect anything less from the Matriarch.

It was her she'd learned all of this from after all.

There were no pleasantries exchanged, no begging or pleading to change the course both parties were now standing on.

Her Mother merely nodded her head, seeming somewhat impressed by her Daughter's nerve before turning on her heel and leaving the office, stopping only at the exit to drop one last parting shot.

'You've picked your side… It's the wrong one... I do hope they're worth it'.

As quick as she'd come she had gone and the moment that door shut behind her was the moment the cracks in her armour split and the blood seeped out.

That was how she'd come to find herself slumped at her desk and slipping, the whiskey tightly in her grasp and having lost all ability to focus on the work that needed doing. A guilt chewed her insides as she processed the fact that a Luthor truly was the one behind the hatred which was beginning to ripple through the City, that thought having been the one that had catapulted her into such a violent loathing of her name.

She really did hate her name. She may not have anything to do with CADMUS herself but her Mother… Lillian Luthor did, not only was she associated with them but she was CADMUS. And with that came guilt by association. As soon as people found out who was behind all of this instantly their ire would once again be turned towards her because she was a Luthor and just had to be the same as those who'd come before.

Every ounce of good she'd put into changing their perception of her would all be for nothing. Lionel was bad, Lex was bad, Lillian would be proved to be bad like her Husband and Son before her and so it was only a matter of time until she would be tarred even more relentlessly with the same God damn brush the others had been. Her life as she knew it would all be over, her own quest but for nought. Everything she was doing to redeem herself would fall apart, her Empire coming down with her, on her.

That's if she wasn't killed in the middle of it.

Her first glass of whiskey was shattered into hundreds of pieces at the far end of her office, the amber liquid staining the pure white wall. For a split second her anger had consumed her grief and she'd been unable to stop her arm from throwing the expensive crystal, the rage within her burning so strongly she lost all common sense and comprehension.

But the loathing quickly rooted itself back in once more and her anger was depleted, the fight exhausting. She was sick of it. She was so sick of them all. If the people didn't hate the Luthor's enough already then this would certainly be the last straw. She was that wretched names last hope and if her Mother goes under she just knows that she'll go under too.

And she was tired. She was so tired of it all. Tired of being a Luthor, of being the town pariah. She was as much of a victim of her brother's deeds as anyone, blameless in all he'd done. She was just so tired of having to fight her corner from the moment she woke up until the time she shut her eyes at night.

But even in her mental exhaustion she refused to let it bring her down. She was as tough as they came and still soldiered on throughout, her head as high as it ever had been. The only person who could destroy her was herself and she outwardly refused to allow it to happen. She would not yield, not even for a minute.

The people who were already too frightened to come near her, unwilling to touch a Luthor even with a ten foot pole, would scamper completely and leave her at the eye of the storm to wither and to rot and to pay for crimes she most certainly did not commit.

She'd never been seen as Lena since she could remember, she'd always been seen as a Luthor. That's all people see. Luthor, not Lena.

Everyone but one.

One person had somehow managed to see past the bluster and bravado, past the name and title. She didn't know how she'd done it but those blue eyes had sussed her out the moment she'd meekly walked into the office, hiding behind Clark Kent's ridiculously large shoulders.

Eyes so wise Lena had barely been able to take her eyes off of her. She was clumsy and awkward, fidgeting with her glasses as she became flustered whenever Lena complimented her but there was something in her eyes, some blindingly pure light which sucked up every word that left her mouth.

For the first time someone had actually believed her words, that she was not a villain and she truly was trying to make something great and something good. Someone believed in her, someone believed in her cause and Lena hadn't even had to push her explanations or prove anything. She simply believed.

Kara Danvers was that person… Or should she say Supergirl.

In some bitter and twisted turn of fate the woman she'd found herself gravitating closer and closer towards was the one person who should avoid her at all costs. They might not have had history personally but their families did. Her own Brother, Kara's cousin. Already they were connected by an outer force.

She didn't know straight off the bat of course. No she had been completely intrigued by the nervously awkward blonde beauty who was shadowing Clark Kent, unable to tear her gaze away from her. The sunny disposition which shone from her was completely intoxicating and Lena had found herself wanting to be in her presence a little more so that she could syphon some of that goodness for herself. That perhaps it could extinguish the small darkness that she as a human being inevitably harnessed.

It should have clicked then. There was no way a mere mortal could ooze such righteousness and kindness.

But it hadn't.

Kara Danvers had completely fascinated her and even behind the clumsy façade Lena knew there was a lot more to the woman than was visible. Even with all her light there was a world weariness lurking in her eyes, a hardship and a struggle and she doubted anyone would be able to see it. But she did. She was Lena Luthor after-all and had an inane knack at reading those surrounding her and she could read Kara Danvers like no other.

When they'd left she'd found herself unable to stop from asking Kara if she could speak to her again, that they could chat on a more informal basis. The words had come out before she could stop them but she was incredibly surprised at how easy Kara's response had been.

'I'd like that too'.

There was no ulterior motive there, no digging for a scoop. The woman genuinely wanted to speak to her again and Lena couldn't help but hope that perhaps that woman would become her first friend in National City. Lord knows she needed one and people weren't exactly cueing up to be it.

She lived a lonely life, she always had. Not just due to her name but due to her own determination to see her plans fall through. People had been pushed to the side as she'd focused relentlessly on the task at hand.

However now that she was at the top she wasn't stupid, she knew she needed a safety net and a sounding board and Kara Danvers fit that role perfectly. She held a sweetness Lena'd found her life lacking and it was such an enticing trait. She was someone who could reign her in when the darkness residing in the recesses of her mind threatened to consume her, tell her if something was wrong with what she was doing.

She didn't even know the woman yet but this, this she knew. After just one conversation she could feel it in her gut which was never wrong. This woman was special.

And her gut had been right. They'd quickly found a friendship with one another and her judgements on the girl had been spot on and then some. She had her own worries on the ADD and that was why she'd shown it to Kara because she knew the woman would be nothing but honest on her feelings for the device.

Instantly she slammed it down, highlighting the dangers of creating and selling such a device. It could easily be used as a way to track and highlight who the aliens amongst them were, segregating the ET community even further from their own human one. It was a device which most certainly fell in the grey area and even though there were many positives to the device which she herself believed in there were many negatives as well.

But eventually they both found common ground on the issue, seeing both perspectives on such a controversial device and Lena had decided that the prototype would be discontinued for the time being, until they found a better and far less intrusive way to utilise the tech.

The smile on Kara's face had been worth it.

When she was around Lena found herself unwittingly dropping the hard façade, softening and exposing just a little more about herself. It was so easy to talk to her, to tell her things about herself that she'd never told anyone. Her relationship with her Brother, how she loathed him yet still she loved him. How he had always been the one person in that family who treated her as an equal, who loved her. How the crushing realisation of just how far he had fallen, how much worse than their Father he had become. How it had broken her heart.

She'd told Kara all of this and still she found no judgement in those cerulean blue eyes, no persecution. It was almost as if she understood, that she empathised with the plight and the inner turmoil at loving someone so much even when they turned out to be a monster. She should have realised it then.

But she didn't.

More and more she'd been seeking the woman out, whether it was for a coffee at Noonan's or a drop by her apartment whenever she was on her way back from a business meeting. And Kara had been seeking her out too, actively showing up at her office with doughnuts and coffee just for some small talk.

Being around Kara only seemed to strengthen her crusade, the woman's bright sunshine too precious to be extinguished by the darkness of the world. Lena was doing all of this to make the world a better place for the innocents within it but she found that she was now doing it for Kara more and more as time wore on and she couldn't fathom why.

Unconsciously she'd even started flirting with the poor woman, unable to resist making her blush profusely. Kara would stammer over the words, her face flushing a deep red and it would only make the wicked grin on her own lips widen as she realised that she had just as much of an effect on the blonde as the blonde had on her. Lena had always been a charmer and could flirt better than anyone but flirting with Kara just felt right. It filled her with an excitement her life had been sorely lacking in recent times.

It was so easy to let down her guard around the woman and it frightened her as much as it intrigued her. In such a little amount of time Kara Danvers had made a big impact on her life, like no one else had. It was foreign, it was wonderful and it was completely terrifying. She was exposing herself piece by piece and she couldn't stop herself as much as she wanted too. She'd tried so hard to hold it all back but something about Kara made her want to spill her soul and all her secrets and then some.

There was something about Kara Danvers and at first she didn't see it. It was only when she'd met properly with Supergirl, face to face on her office balcony did it all seem to fall into place. Those bright blue eyes were unforgettable and seeing them without the glasses only solidified how majestic they were - the shoulder length blonde hair was framing her gorgeous face instead of being pulled back into a tight ponytail.

The height was the same, the eyes, the hair, the impressively athletic physique. It all clicked in one instant and she was certain Kara knew that she knew. She hadn't confronted her on it, nor asked her to reveal herself. That wasn't her secret to tell and she would not put the woman on the spot. She didn't want the woman to run from her and she knew forcing her to reveal something so special to her could do just that. It would spoil everything they had and there was no way Lena was going to let the one true bit of light in her life slip away all because she was curious. When Kara was ready to reveal her alter ego then so would she. No one would find out Supergirl's true identity, not from her lips anyway.

She was not her family. She was not like those Luthor's.

Kara's strong feelings towards the ADD only reinforced that the god like being stood before her was in fact the woman she'd found herself craving more and more. And even though Supergirl walked with purpose and confidence and had this strength just rippling off of her Lena could see that beneath it all the clumsy Kara Danvers façade was not so much of a façade after all.

She wasn't one or the other, she truly was both. The two personalities blended together, each overlapping layer after layer.

Remarkable indeed.

Sighing loudly she pushed the papers back, giving her a little more space on the desk and poured herself yet another drink. The liquor was warm and comforting – an unhealthy coping mechanism – but a coping mechanism none the less. It thawed the ice around her just a little more, allowing her skin beneath the impenetrable armour to breathe just a little easier.

Lena leaned back in her seat, sinking into the leather whilst nursing the glass in her hand idly. Right now all she wanted was a reprieve from it all, from everything. Her gaze was sorrowful, eyes trailing over the mess she'd made on the far end of the office.

She'd clean it up in the morning she decided.

If only everything else in her life was as easy to brush up and dispose of.

Resigning herself to her night of wallowing she sunk another glass before pouring another. She was certainly in for a long night. So consumed by her own thoughts Lena didn't spot the familiar silhouette on the railings of her balcony, cerulean blue eyes trained worriedly on her.

Today she was tired. Today she was at her weakest but she knew it wouldn't last forever, nothing ever did. Tomorrow she would be fine. She'd rise up from this as she always did just a little bit stronger and be ready to take on the world once more with another lashing of lipstick.

Tomorrow she would be the enigmatic CEO in killer heels, with a killer smile to match it. Tomorrow she would be indestructible once more and this slip down her mountain would become a distant memory in the back of her mind until it was time to break it out again.

Tomorrow she would begin her counter strategy against CADMUS, pool her resources into finding out every last detail she could about them. She would take her stand and ready herself and her company for the fight they undoubtedly would have coming their way in the near future.

Tonight however she allowed herself to be human.

For even the strongest had to crumble occasionally.


	2. Through the looking glass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a big thank you for the positive feedback. I have heard you calls and have worked through another chapter for you guys, this time from Kara's POV. Hopefully it's at the same standard as the previous and I hope you enjoy it as much as the first.

Kara loved many things in her life. She loved her Sister and her friends. She loved the way the sun always shone on National City, how it danced off of the towering skyscrapers at the heart of the place and sparkled onto the pavements and the people walking below. She loved the feeling of flying, the rush it filled her with as the wind whipped at her hair and nipped at her cheeks though she could not feel it. It made her feel alive, exhilarated every piece of her body.

Yes, Kara Danvers loved many things, but one thing she loved more than all of it was this planet and the people on it. When she'd first come here from Krypton never did she imagine that this small but beautiful planet would ever be worth dedicating her life to saving. She would give her own life in a heartbeat if it meant that the people she protected would get to see another sunrise.

And this City, this City held a special place in her large heart. This was her home. National City was her stomping ground, the City which accepted her. Krypton was no longer her home – the planet now long dead – but this place, this real place right here was her home and she loved it with every piece of her body.

There wasn't one person who she would not die for, even if they completely loathed everything she stood for.

And now there was one other person who had somehow managed to muscle her way into her bubble, into her small group of friends and make her presence obviously known and who made her mission of saving them all just a little stronger.

That person was Lena Luthor.

The first time she'd met her she'd stumbled into the woman's office almost blindly and following Clark's lead. Already her head had been filled by her Cousin's words, how you could never trust a Luthor. She'd gone in there thinking nothing but bad things about the new CEO. She just must have been like her Brother, Clark was sure of it, Alex and J'onn were sure of it. Fear and trepidation were pooling in her stomach as she wondered what kind of monster she'd have to face next, wondering if she'd have to emulate the feats of her cousin. The Luthor's were not to be taken lightly, everyone knew that.

The distaste towards every single one of them was rife and rampant. They'd built their empire on blood and greed, all kinds of unsavory deeds to acquire their wealth and their fortune.

Everyone was sure that Lena Luthor was no different.

She was even sure of it.

But when she stepped through that ridiculous door and her eyes landed on the strikingly attractive CEO all of those worries just seemed to slip away. Lena didn't look evil?. Kara knew appearances could be deceiving, a wolf in sheep's clothing after all. But there was something, something Kara couldn't accurately pinpoint. There was this feel to the woman, this air surrounding her. Her massive office didn't feel cold and hostile. Even with the simple and sleek decor it felt warm, she felt warm.

There was something about the way she sauntered around the office, a wicked grin on her painted red lips as she perched herself on the other side of them.

This woman looked like she could take on the world and win.

Kara'd found herself unable to tear her gaze away from the woman's eyes or face. She'd found herself hanging off of her every word as if she'd been pulled under some kind of curse. Immediately she'd found herself completely enchanted by the woman sat before them. The woman who had an almost blinding determination shining from every orifice. Her voice was strong and commanding but the playful undertones were unmissable as she teased a tense looking Clark.

Not that she noticed Clark. She was too preoccupied at staring at the CEO.

She'd gotten so entrenched in her musings, so caught up in her awe that she'd half tumbled over her own introduction. The woman's gaze seemed to linger on her a little longer than was appropriate and Kara didn't even have time to hide the blush which was creeping up her neck and flushing her cheeks.

She was so cool and calm and Kara couldn't stop but snigger at the way the woman dealt with Clark and his bullish, brash demeanour. It was easy and unforced, oozing charm and charisma as well as a hint of intimidation as she brushed off his subtle but obvious accusations.

And without any kind of prompting she confronted them both on it. And Kara had braced herself to shift through the wad of lies which were surely going to slip from the woman's wonderfully painted red lips. Some kind of excuse, some kind of lie to distance her herself from any wrong doing.

However she had been so wrong. She'd listened intently to the woman's words and the conviction of which she spoke them. She listened to her heart beat which always gave away a liar but it was steady and rhythmic, not even a hitch. She listened to the words and she watched the way her face almost fell wistfully, forlornly and those stunningly sea green eyes shined with complete sincerity.

Either the woman was a phenomenal actress or she was telling the truth.

And Kara had felt it deep in her gut, in her heart and certainly in her head. The woman was telling them the truth. She had nothing to do with the explosion, she had nothing to do with Lex's machinations or had any intention of carrying on his grim and violent work, no intention of emulating her families notorious reputation.

'I'm just a woman trying to make a name for myself outside of my family'.

And she really, truly believed her. With every fibre of her being she could just see it. This woman had been drowning in the Luthor name for a long time, it was as clear as day. She wanted to take a stand against such tyranny, she wanted to heal the still puss filled wounds her Brother had torn open on many people, many cities.

The words stung in Kara's chest, a sense of familiarity at the phrase. She too knew how the woman felt, how hard she'd worked to get out of her Cousin's ginormous shadow. She loved Clark, truly, she loved him to death but he had some massive shoes to emulate and the struggle was one she battled through daily. He had set the bar for heroes so high that reaching the same levels were nigh impossible.

There was a tenderness in the way she spoke, a raw meaning behind them and Kara could see a hint of vulnerability beneath the steely surface. Those large eyes gave away as much as they hid and the pain that certainly lurked just beneath the layers of her skin were glaring.

This frighteningly tough and no nonsense woman was a lot more human than she showed. To another's eyes you would never see it, the mask too well trained and polished but to her sharper eyes it was obvious.

She'd found herself sympathising with the woman, a pang of guilt in her chest at how wrong her initial judgements had been on her.

When they'd left the office she hadn't been able to stop herself from defending the woman against her Cousin, whose prejudice against anything with the name Luthor on it was still blinding him to how wrong he was too. She could see it, she could hear it, she could practically taste it… This woman was nothing like her namesake. Nothing like her Brother. She was better, she was so much better.

She didn't even have to meet the infamous Lex Luthor to know how much of a monster the man was.

And the woman she'd just met was nothing like that at all.

She was enigmatic and commanding, poised and proper, sharp, sophisticated and just oozed elegance. And not only that but there was this touch of sadness, a fragility there which seemed so wrong coming from a woman of her standing. There was something intriguingly mysterious about her, something hidden beneath the layers and layers of ice cool armour she'd wrapped herself up in as a child would a comfort blanket.

Even beneath it all Kara could see that this woman was inherently good. She could see that she wanted to make a difference, that she wanted to help the world and she would start by helping the people of National City… Her City. And Kara would take every bit of help she could get.

Now Kara knew she had always been a curious being, always wanting to know more and more of the people around her and she didn't deny that she wanted to know more about Lena Luthor. She had this magnetic, almost hypnotic gaze which could tug at even those with the strongest resolves. Kara had no doubt that if Lena Luthor wanted something then she would get it with ease.

She'd never forget the way the woman saved her Sister from having her head blown off, smoking gun in her hand and her face filled with not fear but a determination for justice. She'd stood strong and unyielding in the face of danger and she couldn't even say a thing to her, not even a thanks, because she was so stunned at how strong this woman must be. Her armed hand was as steady as anything, her posture strong with shoulders squared. It screamed defiance, a no messing stance which made her look even fiercer.

When she'd walked into her office the next day alongside her Cousin who had graciously changed his opinion on the female Luthor it was with a spring in her step, still buzzed from the day before. And Lena had humbly accepted the man's praise whilst throwing in a barb at her estranged and incarcerated Brother – something that had made them all laugh lightly. Clearly her humour was dry and she certainly had a taste for sarcasm. It suited her.

And Kara couldn't deny the flutter that had pulsed through her stomach and her chest as the woman approached her, a soft smile on her face as she showered her with praise. That Clark Kent shouldn't take all the credit for the almost glowing article they'd both contributed to in her name.

'I didn't see your name on the byline Miss Danvers?'.

The way the name had rolled off her tongue had sent tremors through her body, the slightly accented voice soft and curious. She'd struggled to speak, struggled to find a coherent reply in the mess her mind had tangled itself up in. The woman's delightful perfume was invading her senses, alluring her just a little bit more.

'Oh I'm not a reporter'.

Kara knew how lame it must have sounded the moment the words slipped past her lips and cursed herself for being so ridiculous. She thought that being around Cat Grant for so long would have made her immune to the fear factor that seemed to follow powerful women but clearly not.

'You could have fooled me'.

She'd blushed under the eyes which danced playfully, a flirtatious curve to the woman's plump and unmarred lips. Kara didn't know where to look, stumbling over her words as her heart hammered ridiculously in her chest. Something had come over her, stifling her sharpened senses and rendering her almost null and void. This woman was certainly in a league of her own, of that she was certain.

A stupid, almost lobsided smile came to her lips as she watched the beautiful CEO spin on her heel and walk away from her, surely swinging her hips more than normal and Kara truly couldn't even respond. Her voice had failed her, stuck in the rumble in her chest.

But the warmth spreading within her at the words was exciting and foreign and she couldn't help but be touched by the woman's compliment. Lena had seen something in Kara, some potential, potential no one else had seen and Kara felt her own determination swell at observation. Lena Luthor had said she'd make a good reporter…

It was she who had instilled the seed in her mind, giving her the belief to do it. If someone as infallible as the young CEO believed that she had the potential to do great things then Kara found it impossible not to follow through on the observation. She'd tried to dissuade herself from taking on such a job but the woman's words had been ricocheting around her mind and urging her to take a chance and to simply do it.

It's not as if she had anything to lose.

'I hope this isn't the last time we talk?'.

The invitation had startled her, the warmth and genuine want behind it causing her innards to quake and tremble. She gaped and gawped for a second, struggling to find a way to maintain her composure which was crumbling under the gaze. She was almost certain she was resembling a shocked fish at that moment in time but she didn't have the power to prevent it.

She blinked and she breathed and managed to steady herself from becoming a stuttering mess before speaking.

'I hope not either'.

Kara didn't even know where in her mind the words had come from, let alone how she'd gotten them out but she could feel the smile tugging at her lips as she spoke them. She couldn't find it even within herself to refuse the woman's request. She doubted anyone had ever refused her.

She didn't even want to.

The prospect of spending more time with the woman, of getting to know Lena Luthor was too good an opportunity to skip. She knew her friends wouldn't be too happy with such an arrangement for they had not interacted with the woman like she had. Alex would probably be more open to the idea due to the fact that she'd saved the woman herself, and said woman had saved her in turn.

She seemed almost lonely, this office too big for one person. There was a cold detachment to her persona but a sliver of radiance seeped out from beneath the exterior. There was certainly a lot more to Lena than she let on, than people knew and Kara wanted to be the person to know.

From their first meeting there was this insatiable need to become Lena Luthor's friend. She didn't know whether it was her own ridiculous character trait rearing its head, the way she wanted to see the good in absolutely everybody but she found she didn't even care. Because there was good in this woman and she wanted to see it in all its glory. Kara could see the woman was capable of extraordinary feats if she released it fully and if she could lend a hand in doing so then she would not hesitate. Who was she to deny someone's aspirations.

She knew from her own experience how lonely it could be in a new City, a new environment. Hell she'd arrived on a whole new planet and if it wasn't for Alex and Eliza it would have been the loneliest life in existence. She didn't want Lena to transition through this alone, especially with the intense scrutiny her character faced every single day.

And as the weeks had passed by Kara had found herself actively seeking out the mysterious Luthor, wanting to get to know more about her. At first she'd masked it by giving her interviews and it was all very formal but somehow she'd gotten Lena to soften with every single visit. Gradually she was relaxing, her guard still up but not as severe. She'd heard her laugh, she'd seen her smile… Rao, her smile… Her smile was just something else.

It lit up her eyes and it lit up the room and Kara almost always without fail found herself replying to it with one of her own. It was contagious and her stomach always fluttered whenever she realised that she could make this woman who was the picture of poise and grace laugh and smile so freely as if no one else was watching. There was a gentleness to her, a sweetness which was hidden away from everyone.

Everyone but her.

She knew she was still a flustered and stumbling mess around the enigma that was Lena, that she was certain would never change. Lena was very suggestive with her words and her actions and she just didn't know what to make of them. She couldn't decide whether the woman was just overly friendly or if there might be – just maybe – something else to it.

Whatever her intention one thing she did know was that the lady clearly knew exactly what she was doing. She almost certainly knew what kind of effect it was having on her and it seemed to urge her to do it just a little bit more. Lena Luthor certainly got a kick out of her turning her into a withering mess.

She might have been the girl of steel but even she caved under Lena's presence. She was a fiercely intimidating woman and she had this untouchable aura surrounding her in everything she did. It was captivating, enchanting and Kara couldn't deny it suited her.

Her heart always raced when she watched her bite her lip, the way she'd lazily run her hand through her long flowing tresses.

Lena looked at her in a way she was certain no one looked at her before. It was as if she saw her… Not Supergirl, not Kara Zor El but Kara Danvers. She supported her in her decisions, she urged her to strive for the pinnacle and had this unwavering faith in her.

When she was Supergirl everyone looked at her in complete awe and it wasn't a look she was unaccustomed too. She was a phenomenal being after all. But no one looked at Kara Danvers in that way. She was forgettable, miss-able and not someone who stood out from the crowd. And that was how she thought she liked it, made it easier to disguise the other incredible side to her.

But she wasn't just Supergirl, there was so much more to her than Supergirl and most of the time people didn't see that. They never saw Kara Danvers.

But Lena had seen her. Lena could see Kara Danvers as clear as day. From the moment they'd met those emerald green eyes which were brighter than Kryptonite had seen her, and not only seen her but wanted to see her more. It was an attention Kara didn't know she wanted until this woman had popped spontaneously into her life.

There were a lot of things Kara didn't know she wanted until she met Lena.

Not that she could make sense of those feelings, not in the slightest. She was absolutely clueless as to what it all meant, oblivious to the stirrings in her stomach every single time she spent a second of time in the woman's presence. It was a strange tingling, a flutter of some obscure emotion. And she'd swallow them down, willing them to stop because all they did was confuse her to hell and back and turn her into that bumbling idiot all over again.

And as their meetings became more frequent they were only growing. Lena would show up at her apartment completely unannounced simply because she wanted to see her. And she in turn would swing by L-Corp on her way back from CatCo or if she was in the area and they would just sit and relax and laugh, both taking a deserved break from the rest of the world around them.

And Lena was peeling away a layer of herself every time they met. Lena was willingly spilling her secrets and allowing her to enter her world, revealing a titbit of information every single time.

And she would listen to the words with no judgement. After her initial judgements had been so far from the truth she'd started to refrain from judging others before getting to know them. Lena never lied to her. She admitted she loathed her Brother for all he'd done and the pain he'd caused but she also revealed that she loved him. Some piece of her still loved him even after all he'd done, even after he'd tried to kill her. He'd been the one person in that miserable family to make living with them bearable and his betrayal had cut her deeply.

The words had only brought them closer however. Kara knew what that felt like, to lose a family member to their own desires. The actions she'd had to take on Astra, knowing that she had crossed the line. Just because she'd become someone else in the process it didn't mean she didn't love her anymore. She'd loved her Aunt until the very end, she still did to this day.

Love... It was a fickle thing indeed.

Slowly Lena was becoming somewhat of a kindred spirit to her, the two of them facing their own battles daily and finding a sounding board in one another. It truly touched her that this woman trusted her enough to disclose such things knowing how precarious it was to do so. Her world was cruel and ruthless and weaknesses were almost constantly exploited. But Kara had taken it upon herself to not allow those words ever be used against the woman, they were for her ears only and that was how it would stay. She wouldn't betray her trust. These things were personal and private and meant a lot to her.

Everytime they met she had to bite back the urge to spill her own secrets. Rao she wanted to tell Lena who she was, that she was the mighty Supergirl who protected National City. It was as an obligation of sorts, Lena was giving her all these pieces of herself and yet Kara could give nothing in return.

She wasn't sure if the woman already knew her secret. She was clever, beyond clever even. The woman was a certified genius - probably smarter than Winn - and had a talent for reading between the lines and amongst the pages. If she had Lena Luthor fooled then she could fool anyone of that she was certain.

Even if she did know her secret however, she'd yet to even hint at it. She'd had ample opportunities to pry, to reveal the truth that she knew Kara Danvers wasn't merely Kara Danvers.

But she hadn't taken it.

Most would relish the thought of knowing Supegirl's secret identity, revel in being privy to such knowledge. They could boldly explain that they knew more about Supergirl than anyone else did and would scream it from the rafters.

But she hadn't. She hadn't even toyed with the idea, hadn't even mentioned it. This woman was a Luthor, someone whose name instilled a fear into aliens and her family especially, and if this woman knew it could be catastrophic - or so the stigma around her would tell you.

Maybe she didn't know?.

But something in Kara's mind was screaming that she did know. Somehow the woman had sussed her out and knew full well who she was beneath the glasses and the cardigans.

And still she treated her the same. Still she spoke with her as if she was human being and not an alien from another planet. That she wasn't the indomitable Supergirl, just a girl who was finding her way in the world as much as the next person.

It was just so easy to talk to her, to sit with her. Even if she became a staggering mess once and a while.

The more she learned about Lena the more she wanted to learn, to truly delve beneath the surface of the enigma and penetrate the mysterious aura that engulfed the woman so tightly. She could brighten up her day with only a sly comment and knowing wink, making everything around her seem just a little simpler.

The effect she had on her was profound and she couldn't help but like that Lena was her friend and no one else's. She loved her family and her friends but they were all wrapped around the D.E.O circle, everyone knowing everyone. Lena was her friend. She wasn't Alex's or Winn's or J'onn's. She was her friend and hers alone and she couldn't help but enjoy having someone to herself, especially someone like Lena.

Lena now fell under the same umbrella as the other's, the ones she wanted to protect fiercely. She was in her life and in her circle and she would get the same level of protection as the rest of them.

And Rao knows the woman needed it.

A woman of her standing and her connections was the prime target for some form of explotation and Kara knew that Lex would not rest until he'd taken his Sister down with him. Three times he'd tried to kill her already and she knew there would be more. Add in those vying for some Luthor blood to be split and the endless aliens that seemed to filter into National City on a weekly basis and there was a bubbling cauldron beneath her feet and waiting to consume the CEO.

It was giving Kara a headache and a worry she didn't know she could harbour.

And Lena wasn't doing herself any favours in keeping herself safe either. Today's actions had proven as much. For someone as calculated and clever Kara had learned today that the woman was also reckless, even with her calculated mind. She liked to take risks and was bolder than she realised, something she'd confronted her on face to face in her Supergirl persona.

After the gangs violent attacks on numerous landmarks around National City Lena had gone and taken it upon herself to catch them. The plan was ingenious yes, but it was also dangerous. She'd paraded herself freely at the gala, luring them in and acting as the bait without even flinching. Somehow she knew that they would come for her, for the wealth that would surround her at the gala.

And when they'd finally attacked and the rest of the crowd cowered in fear at the sight of the alien weapons gripped tightly in their fists, Lena didn't even twitch. She'd approached them, mocked them and goaded them into doing whatever it was they'd intended.

Kara had watched it all from her perch, her heart in her throat and her stomach lurching. The fire in the woman's eyes, the fierce determination as she stood right in the bullseye was as terrifying as it was impressive and Kara didn't hesitate to jump into the action and pull their attention off of the CEO and onto her instead.

But in her haste to stop them from even touching her friend she'd acted just as recklessly and before she knew it she'd ended up on the ground, staring down the barrel of the formidable looking weapon. She'd forced the beam back with her heat vision but she knew she couldn't sustain it forever.

And just as she started to lose that particular battle a ripple of energy surged around them, the weapons being flung into the air and exploding in a crescendo of noise and colour. The gang was stunned and quickly detained, their threat nullified at the loss of their precious weapons.

And Kara wondered what the hell had happened, who could have caused such a turn in the tide. That was when she saw her. Lena was moving as elegantly as ever, slinking from beneath the stage with Winn beside her.

At first she'd been shocked at the sight, a foreign surge of emotion stirring in her gut as she watched the two who were slightly dishevelled pulling themselves from under the stage. She'd had to bite at the jealousy and Winn must have somehow spotted the look on her face as he quickly cleared the whole thing up, praising Lena for her actions.

Because it was her who had stopped them. The woman's cunning plot came to light and Kara was relieved to see she was alright, but irked that the woman could be so stupid.

She hadn't been able to stop herself from paying her a visit a little later as Supergirl, telling her how dangerous her actions were. But Lena being Lena had laughed it off, reinforcing it once again that she was determined to do good and that she couldn't stand by and do nothing whilst innocent people were being terrorised. They'd attacked a freaking children's hospital for Rao's sake.

It had only caused Kara to marvel at her bravery. The woman had saved her life now as well as her Sister's. This normal, mortal, human being had thwarted a plan with her quick thinking and her smarts. She couldn't have stopped them without her aide and she wasn't even ashamed to admit that to Lena. She didn't know whether she'd wanted to kiss her or slap her.

When she'd left that fluttering had returned, a smile plastered over her face at the offer Lena had given her.

'I hope we can work together more Supergirl'.

'I hope so too'.

Kara had no doubt that she'd be seeing Lena more, as Kara Danvers and as Supergirl too. She wished she had the courage to spill that she was one and the same, if only to let the woman know that she had her aide whenever she needed it.

But she couldn't do it. Not yet.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Lena because that couldn't be further from the truth. She trusted the woman with her life and as rapid as that had come about she meant it. She knew Lena wouldn't betray her, she knew she would support her and she knew that things would get even better between them should there be no secrets.

But she was afraid. Not of Lena of course but of how the woman would see her. She was the first person other than Cat who'd seen her as Kara – though Cat saw her as Keira but they were one and the same - who was interested in her as Kara Danvers and not as Supergirl. No one was interested in Kara Danvers, the sunny assistant.

But Lena was. And she didn't know if Lena would look at her the same way once she knew she was Supergirl. Their family history ran so deep, battle lines long drawn between the two. And even though Lena clearly liked the Supergirl side of her she didn't want the way Lena thought of her to change.

Because Lena treated her like a human being, not as an alien. And she liked being seen as human and she didn't want to lose that. Because even though Lena was pro alien per se, she still invested in alien detection technology, she still wanted to protect the people from hostile forces and it was a natural reaction to a slow invasion from another world.

Would she one day want to protect the world from Kara herself?. It ignited a fear in the back of her mind, the fear of rejection. A fear which plagued her more often than not and associating the feeling with Lena was nothing short of horrifying. She'd given her purpose, given her guidance and had lit the path for her vocation. Lena had done more for her than she'd admitted.

With a sigh she focused back on the route she was currently flying, her nightly patrol quiet for once and allowing her to gather her thoughts and muddle over everything that had happened.

She didn't even realise she'd been circling the block around L-Corp for the past twenty minutes. Instinctively she'd been drawn back to the building, back to the woman residing within it. If she was still there that was, it was gone midnight and she must have left for her penthouse by now.

Still wouldn't hurt to check however.

So Kara altered her flight path, swinging around the building and up to the top level of the tallest tower in the City. Coming to a stop she floated in the air, using her x-ray vision to scan the building.

It was completely abandoned, every floor vacated up until she looked through the window of the top one. And there she could make out a lone figure lounging in the large seat.

Curiously she blinked away the x-ray and peered through the window. It was shrouded in darkness except for the lamp which rested on the desk where the woman's hand drummed lazily along the black marble, her nails clicking with every contact.

Why was she still there?. She mused curiously, eyes narrowing and a crease forming between her brows at the discovery. Yes Lena had a habit of working till the late hours – something she'd discovered on her almost daily visits - but this was excessive even by her standards.

Kara moved closer until she was perched on the railing. And she knew it was wrong, that she shouldn't be doing it but she couldn't stop herself. She honed in on the woman's breathing which was soft and low, her heart beating erratically but at a slow pace. Almost too slow.

She scanned the room again and made out a nearly empty bottle of whiskey which sat just beside the lithe fingers. She spotted the glass which was hanging loosely in her hand as she brought the amber liquid up to her lips. Her heels were discarded on one side of the room, her long hair tussled as it hung around her shoulders. Clearly she's been running her hands through it incessantly Kara mused. It was a habit she did often, whenever she was stressed or nervous or uncomfortable Kara would always know because her hand would scratch through her scalp on cue.

She didn't know when she'd started picking up on Lena's tics and habits.

Smashed glass littered the floor on the far end, a visible stain of brown coating the white wall. Papers were strewn across her desk and spilling out onto the floor at the side.

The woman's shoulders were hunched and heavy, her head low on her chest. Worry suddenly flared in her stomach as she took in the sight of the confident and composed CEO looking so… so broken. She looked fragile, disturbed and as if the weight of the world was forcing down onto her slim frame.

Had something happened?.

The smashed glass was signal enough but Kara couldn't think what could have happened in the few hours since she'd left the woman. Something that could have elicited such a violent reaction, bring on such a forlorn and sorrowful demeanour which was wrapping it's painful tendrils tightly around the woman's body.

Kara could practically feel it rippling from the room.

Quietly she found herself landing on the balcony she'd become so familiar with, barely making a sound as her lightly fluttering cape came to a stop. Approaching the glass she stopped, hand raised and ready to knock it.

Hesitation crept into her bones just before her knuckles would rap on the thick window. Supergirl didn't know Lena privately but Kara Danvers did. She knew how mortified she'd be at being seen in such a vulnerable manner. Clearly this was a private moment but Kara couldn't fight the urge to go in anyway. Lena was… Lena was suffering and she couldn't fly away and leave her to suffer alone. She meant too much to her now.

Maybe there was something she could do to help…

Kara had been drawn to Lena like a moth to a flame ever since she'd met her. Supergirl had been too. No matter how much she'd fought it, it was one fight she couldn't win no matter how hard she tried. She'd been sucked into her orbit, unable and unwilling to break away from the gravitational pull.

She was like the moon, light and dark, closer than the sun but still out of reach. Powerful and mysterious, an enigma with two sides. Flowing and lasting like the continuous tide and wielding more strength than anyone knew. She was bright, a beacon of hope in the darkness she'd grown up in. She'd guided Kara when she was at an impasse. She'd illuminated the gangs plans of terror and intimidation.

Kara had faced down aliens, killers and everything in between and she'd never once been scared. But right now, standing outside of Lena's window with her hand poised over the glass she was frightened.

Because even though she was Supergirl, she was also Kara Danvers. And Kara Danvers had come to care for Lena Luthor, for her safety and for everything. Kara Danvers was an absolute nervous wreck whenever she was in Lena's vicinity, a stumbling, bumbling, awkward, blushing nerd who spoke just a little too fast, a little too mumbled. Her mouth would run off on tangents and she'd completely miss the point and Lena would just smile and laugh knowingly in amusement which in turn would send her spiralling into absolute idiot mode.

And it took so much effort so hold up her girl of steel persona whenever she was with her because Lena was the one person who could fluster her like no other. And she couldn't help but think that this was how she would give away her identity.

And it was all because Lena Luthor had seen Kara Danvers.

Oh Rao… She could get out of any situation but she had no idea how she was going to get out of this one.

She wanted nothing more than to barge in there and chase away whatever pain was filling the beauty, ease her struggle and her stresses and let her know that whatever was wrong then it would all be okay.

But she found she could not hold her nerve.

Her hand dropped wistfully to her side and she stepped back from the window. She couldn't abuse her power, not like this. Pushing Lena never achieved anything and what she was currently doing was beyond creepy – even she with her serious lack of boundaries was aware of this.

If Lena wanted to talk about it she would, and she certainly knew she would not talk to Supergirl about it.

However she would talk to Kara Danvers… Well she hoped she would. Because she was her friend. She was her confidant. They'd come to trust one another over time, built up a bond based on mutual respect and empathy.

With guilt and fear snapping at innards she took off quietly, flying as far away from Lena as she could.

Kara was so caught up in her guilt she didn't feel the pair of emerald green eyes which were watching her leave.

Tonight she would allow Lena to be weak, knowing how difficult it was to be so strong all the time. She'd leave her to piece and process whatever it was that troubled her so. As hard as it was she had come to know Lena and the woman prided herself on her independence. She'd never wanted anyone, never needed anyone. Barging in when she was at her lowest visible ebb would only spook her and Kara knew that armour and that shield she wore so strongly would come up higher than ever.

Tomorrow however she vowed that she would go to her, armed with doughnuts and coffee because she also knew how Lena liked to skip meals in favour of board meetings and paperwork. She'd lend her ear, lend her time and hope that the woman would tell her what was getting her down. What could possibly shake the foundations of such a strong structure.

Tomorrow Kara Danvers would have to be there for Lena Luthor, for this was something not even Supergirl could do. She could make her laugh, she could make her smile and she swore to herself that she would bring a smile back onto that face.

Because she knew as well as anyone that strength didn't mean everything. Because even though she was from another planet she felt these things, these moments of weakness too.

Because she full well that even the strongest had to crumble occasionally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for what may look like spelling mistakes. If you haven't gathered it yet I'm British, well Welsh more accurately, and we like to keep the U's where they are.
> 
> And here it is. I find Kara surprisingly difficult to write due to the two contrasting personalities but I guess it fits with the tone of SuperCorp, how she can split her feelings (even of friendship) between her two alternate roles in Lena's life.
> 
> So this is the end of this, but this is also the foundations for the fully fledged story which I have written three chapters so far. So there is more, just not under this story. It'll be the second part of the Unbent, Unbroken series and is called 'This Woman's Work'.
> 
> Your words are humbling and I am eternally grateful so please keep them coming.
> 
> With love,
> 
> C.

**Author's Note:**

> So here it is guys. If you liked it then drop me a line and let me know. Even though this is classed as a two shot I will be making it into a fully fledged story so fear not... Though they will be split etc.
> 
> To my fellow SuperCorpians I salute you dearly and bid you adieu for now.
> 
> Long live Supercorp.
> 
> With Love,
> 
> C.


End file.
